By Helena Wright

As we become older and grow into adulthood, we naturally become accountable and more responsible for our actions. It is no longer your teachers, your parents and the adults in your life making your decisions. As much as we can sometimes justify not going to school, by saying that the content is not important, or you have something better to do, or you just don’t want to go are not valid enough reasons to skip. Skipping class in high-school is a rite of passage, with notorious ‘senior skip days’ and good summer weather that prompts time spent outdoors rather than in a dingy classroom. Sometimes getting out of bed in the morning to go to an 8:30 class that you’re not particularly fond of can feel like a loosing battle. Maybe, you have a last- minute assignment due in your next period that you haven’t finished or maybe a test you haven’t studied for, and need to go to the library instead of class to get it done.

However, a few skipped classes can turn into a bad case of absenteeism. In that case you miss valuable information that your teacher is giving and present yourself as not only unreliable but as unprepared for life beyond high-school. Your ability to prove yourself as a reliable and productive individual that can discipline themselves to attend to their responsibilities is valuable for future employers and future professors in university. Your ability to discipline yourself and present yourself as prepared and participating in your classes tells your teachers that you care. It shows to others that you are understanding of what is expected of you, and you can rise beyond your desires and do what you need to do.

When applying to universities, your attendance will reflect your commitment to your studies and your classes. Admission offices that are accepting students will choose a student with the drive to apply themselves and learn, over a student that proved that they could not commit to their classes. As university is less parentally involved, it relies on a student’s commitment to their studies. As professors are not going to contact you or your parents with concerns of absenteeism. Your learning in post-secondary is dependent on you getting yourself to class and learning the content. Not attending your lectures leads to struggle in learning the content, and does not shed a good light on academic commitment. If you need to ask your teacher or your professor for a reference or good word, you will want to be the person who is attributed with the participation and engagement to class material.

Overall, attendance reflects commitment and admirable, hard-working qualities that not only teachers will seek, but employers and future mentors.